Shopping bag with deteachable coupon

ABSTRACT

Shopping bag with detachable coupon portion for advertising communication and shopping convenience.

United States Patent Bemel Apr. 16, 1974 [54] SHOPPING BAG WITHDETEACHABLE 1,157,568 10/1915 Mills 229/53 COUPON 3,155,234 11 1964K6011 et a1. 206/DIG. 22 3,348,759 lO/1967 Johnson 229/53 Inventor:Milton Bemel, Scottsdale, Arlz- 3,431,404 3/1969 Brink 229/57 xAssigneez Warren E B. Lindsley Paradise 1,767,274 6/1930 Brodenck 229/53Valley, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: Feb. 4, 19721,101,199 10/1955 France 206/D1G. 22 9 3 l8 229 53 pp No: 223,456 6,3 899 Great BrItaIn 9 Primary ExaminerWi1liam I. Price 52 us. (:1 229/s3,206/DIG. 22, 229/56, Assimn, Examine, stephen R Garbe 229/57 Attorney,Agent, or FirmWarren F. B. Lindsley [51] Int. Cl B65d 31/12, B65d 33/00[58] Field of Search 229/53, 56, 57, 87 B;

206/DIG. 22; ISO/1.7 [57] ABSTRACT 56] References Cited Sho ing bagwit11 dfitachaizile soup an portion for ad- UNITED STATES PATENTSvertlsmg commumca Ion an s oppmg convemence.

2,226,943 12/1940 Poppe 206/DIG. 22

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures SHOPPING BAG WITH DETEACHABLE COUPONBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an advertisingcombination and more particularly to an advertising communication orvehicle and an article of merchandise to which the advertisingcommunication is removably attached.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is particularly directed to newand novel shopping bags which may be, for example, of the paper bagvariety especially adapted for use in grocery and department stores andthe like where check-out counters are provided.

Description of the Prior Art Heretofore premium or store coupons havebeen used as a part of an advertising system designed as an incentivefor the retail salesman to sell, or the consumer to buy a particularbrand of merchandise. These coupons have been inserted in the package bythe manufacturere, inserted in magazines. newspapers, etc., or handedout by the manufactuere through other mediums. Retailers at times haveused clip-out coupons in local ad sheets to offer a premium discountlocally on various products.

None of the methods have been completely satisfactory because thenationally published coupons have not benefited equally well all retailmerchandisers, have not reached a substantial'part of the public sincemagazines and the like are not available to all shoppers, and have lentthemselves to various forms of fraud on the advertiser as well as thelocal retailer. Therefore a new method of advertising and article ofmerchandise are needed to more effectively utilize the premium couponsystem.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with the invention claimed, a newand improved method of advertising communication and articles ofmerchandise are provided which more effectively utilize the premiumcoupon advertising system. The vehicle for accomplishing the inventionis the shopping bag, which is providedwith removable portion or portionswhich either contain a coupon or stamp or open a pocket which containssaid coupon or stamp.

It is,.therefore, one object of this invention to provide a new andimproved method of advertising communication and article of merchandisefor accomplishing said method.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improvedshopping bag with tear away portion for containing or concealing anadvertising communication.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improvedshopping bag with perforated tear away coupons forming a part thereof.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new andimproved paper shopping bag with perforated tear away portions around atleast a part of the mouth of the bag containing coupons or stamps forcents off" purchases of and/or redeeming merchandise.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new andimproved paper shopping bag having a tear away pocket on the base of thebag.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a label, couponor stamp which may be readily grasped for easy detachment.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent as the followingdescription proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize thisinvention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexedto and forming part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The present invention may be morereadily described by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shopping bag showing the perforatedtear away coupon portion along the edge of one side of the mouth of theshopping bag;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modification of the bag shown in FIG.1 with a portion of the shopping bag shown in FIG. 1 with the tear awayportion partially removed from the mouth of the bag;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modification of the shopping bag shownin FIGS. 1 and 2 in collapsed form with a tear away pocket on theoutside of the bottom of the bag;

FIG. 4 is a modification of the pocket for a shopping bag shown in FIG.3 wherein a portion of the outsde flap of the pocket is perforatedpartly along its length;

FIG. 5 is a further modification of the pockets for the bottom ofshopping bags wherein the opening end of the pocket is partially gluedon a portion of the length and opposite end; and

FIG. 6 is a still further modification of the pocket for the bottomoutside surface of shopping bags wherein a tear away perforated strip isarranged along substantially the center line of the outside pocketsurface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly tothe drawing by characters of reference, FIG. 1 discloses a shopping bag10 which may be formed of any suitable material such as, for example,paper which is composed of, when in its collapsed or extended position,substantially two coplanar surfaces or panels 11 and 12, one of whichmay be called a front surface and the other a back surface. As shown inFIG. 1, these surfaces 11 and 12 are vertically extending above thebottom or base panel or member 13 of the shopping bag and interconnectedby end surfaces or panels 14, 15 and l6, 17. The end panels l4, l5 and16, 17 are joined by fold lines 18 and 19, respectively, extendinglongitudinally of the bag. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the ends of thebags further comprise the insert panels 20 (only one of which is shown)which permit the bag to be collapsed as shown in FIG. 3.

This disclosure is not intended to be limited to particular shoppingbags or their folding characteristics but is directed to themodifications of known shoppingbags and bag designs so as to utilize newand improved advertising opportunities by modifying the known shoppingbags in such a manner as to provide a new, different and useful articlehaving the familiar outline of the known bags.

FIGS. 2 and 3, although modifications of the bag shown in FIG. 1, havesimilar parts and where they are similar are given like referencecharacteristics.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shopping bag in FIG. 1 and 10a in FIG. 2are provided with removable portions and 25i a, respectively, which maybe along one or both sides of the mouth of the bag. Even though theportions 25 and 25a are shown in detail along only one side of the mouthof the bag.it should be recognized that it is within the intent andscope of this invention to arrange these portions along one or bothsides and/or the ends of the bag.

These strips or portions may be formed by perforating the width and endsof the bags as shown at 26, 26a in FIGS. 1 and 2, and along theintersection of the portions with the ends of the bag as shown at 27,27a and 28, 28a and between various portions of the strip as shown at29, 29a and 30, 30a. Thus, this tear away portion or parts thereof maycomprise advertising material, communications, stamps or coupons 31, 32and 33 of one type or another on the front panel of the bag and coupons31', 32' and 33 on the back panel of the bag as shown in FIG. 1, orcoupons 34 and 35 with a bonus stamp 36 of one form or another arrangedwithin the tear away strip or portion of the bag as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates a modification of the shopping bags shown in FIGS. 1and 2 wherein shopping bag 1012 is provided with a patch pocket 37 onthe outer surface of its base 13. This pocket comprises an outer surface38 which is sealed to the bottom of the bag along at least a part of itsedges as shown by the surfaces identified by reference characters 40a,40b. 40c, 40d and 40a. The adhesive surfaces 40a, 40b and 40:" may beglued surfaces firmly fixing the outer surface 38 to the bottom or base13 of the bag. The end 41 of the pocket may be detachably sealed to thebottom of the bag in any suitable manner and by any suitable material.

As shown in FIG. 3 the pocket is intended to conceal when closedadvertising material of any type such as one or more coupons 42 whichmay be retreived by grasping the finger hold of the pocket formed by thenotch 43 in surface 38 and tearing the inside portion of the pocketalong the perforations 44, as shown. The front tear away portion 38 ofsurface 38 or all of surface 38 can be a detachable advertisingredeemable item, if so desired. 7

As noted from FIG. 4, the pocket 45 formed on the outside surface of thebottom of bag 1017 may be selaed permanently along both sides 46 and 47and its end 48, as shown, with its other end 49 open. This pocketcontains the same type of perforations 44 shown in FIG. 3 for permittingthe outer surface 50 of the pocket to be torn at least partially to openone end of the pocket to retrieve coupon 42.

FIG. 5 illustrates a further modification of the pockets shown in FIGS.3 and 4 wherein pocket 51 comprises an outside surface 52 which issealed or glued uniformly along a like part of each of its sides at 53and 54 and along its end 55. The mouth of the pocket 56 is detachablyconnected to the bottom of the bag as shown in FIG. 3 to seal thepocket. In this modification part of the sides of the pocket in areas 57and 58 are unattached so that the retriever of coupon 42 merely lifts upend 59 to detach the end of surface 52 from the pocket to open thepocket and expose its contents.

FIG. 6 illustrates a still further modification of the pocket structuresshown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 wherein the pocket 60 comprises an outersurface 61 sealed to the outside surface of the bottom of the bag alongthe sides 62 and 63 and its end 64. The mouth of the pocket is alsosealed at end 65. The center of outer surface 61 of pocket 60 isprovided with a tear away strip 66 which is formed by perforatingsurface 61 along lines 67 and 68. This strip may also contain orcomprise one or more stamps or coupons 70.

When the retriever of the coupon wants to reach the coupon 42, he merelygrasps the outer sheet 61 of pocket 60 by thumb notch 69 formed in oneend of the tear away strips and pulls back on the tear away strip toopen the pocket.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1-6, the standard shopping bag is so modifiedthat it serves as an advertising medium and vehicle for deliveringcoupons to the public of given stores or generally to customers of bagdistributors in such a manner that the stamps are easily noticed,removed from the bag and used without destroying the bag.

If the bags are nor preprinted, the tear or cut away portions of bags 10and 10a may be stamped by the individual stores. The pockets of bags asshown in FIG. 3 may be stuffed automatically when the bag is made orlater if so desired for general, regional, district or localdistribution. It should be recognized that the outer sheets 38, 50, 52and 61 of FIGS. 3-6 may contain advertising coupons, if so desired.

Although but a few embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications may ue made therein without departing from thespirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

I. A bag formed of flexible material defining:

a front panel,

a rear panel,

at least a pair of side panels connecting the side edges of said frontand rear panels, and

a bottom member for connecting one end of the front, rear and sidepanels into an open ended bag,

the other ends of said front, rear and end panels defining an open mouthof said bag,

said bottom member having a removable portion containing an advertisingredeemable item secured thereto,

said removable portion comprises a protective sheet secured to theoutside surface of the bottom member by adhesive means arranged along apart of its periphery,

said sheet being provided with two parallel lines of perforationsextending longitudinally of said sheet inwardly of one edge of saidsheet and at least one line of perforations extending laterally betweensaid two parallel lines inwardly of said one edge of said sheet toprovide a tear away strip,

said strip being provided with a flap at said one edge of said sheet foraiding in tearing said strip from said sheet.

2. The bag set forth in claim 1 wherein said pocket comprises a panelhaving a perforated portion which is torn away to reveal its contents.

3. The bag set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet comprises a coupon.

4. The bag set forth in claim 1 in further combination with anadvertising sheet arranged inside of the pocket formed by said sheet andthe bottom of said bag.

5. The bag set forth in claim 1 wherein said tear away strip comprisesat least one advertising redeemable item.

1. A bag formed of flexible material defining: a front panel, a rearpanel, at least a pair of side panels connecting the side edges of saidfront and rear panels, and a bottom member for connecting one end of thefront, rear and side panels into an open ended bag, the other ends ofsaid front, rear and end panels defining an open mouth of said bag, saidbottom member having a removable portion containing an advertisingredeemable item secured thereto, said removable portion comprises aprotective sheet secured to the outside surface of the bottom member byadhesive means arranged along a part of its periphery, said sheet beingprovided with two parallel lines of perforations extendinglongitudinally of said sheet inwardly of one edge of said sheet and atleast one line of perforations extending laterally between said twoparallel lines inwardly of said one edge of said sheet to provide a tearaway strip, said strip being provided with a flap at said one edge ofsaid sheet for aiding in tearing said strip from said sheet.
 2. The bagset forth in claim 1 wherein said pocket comprises a panel having aperforated portion which is torn away to reveal its contents.
 3. The bagset forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet comprises a coupon.
 4. The bagset forth in claim 1 in further combination with an advertising sheetarranged inside of the pocket formed by said sheet and the bottom ofsaid bag.
 5. The bag set forth in claim 1 wherein said tear away stripcomprises at least one advertising redeemable item.